Car-coupling.



J. E. HUDLER.

GAB. COUPLING.

APPLIOATIORPILBD MAY 22, 1909.

Patented ec. 14, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. E. HUDLER.

CAE UOUPLING.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 2.2, 190s.

@Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

e l i UNITED sTAgEs PATENT ormon.

JAMES E. HUDLER, 0F CRUMPLER, NORTH CAROLINA.

CAR-COUPLING.

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES E. HUDLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Crumpler, in the county of Ash and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Coup-v lers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention'relates to means for coupling together railway rolling stock, and the primary kobject is to provide a novel, simple andpracticable structure, which will autoniatically couple cars together, and will effectively prevent their accidental separation, such structurebeing so arranged, howf ever, that the cars'can be uncoupled with ease and expedition and without danger to the trainmen or other operatives.

While the referred embodiment of the invention is isclosed in the accompanying drawings and described in the following specification, it will be evident from an-in spectio'n of 'the claims hereto appended that the inventionis not necessari ymlimited to the exact structure set forth.

In the drawings: Figure lis a side eleva` Similar reference lnumerals designate correspondingfparts'in lall the figures of the drawings.- L'.

In the embodiment disclosed, two coperating coupler heads 7 'are employed, con-V nected by a link designated generally by the reference numeral 8. Inasmuch as the heads are in'all respects duplicates, a. description of one willsuflice for both, and the same reference numeralsfhave been employed' for corresponding elements. 4Each headcon' sists of a top wall 10 and a bottolnwatl 11, the latter projecting beyond the top wall and having its upper-face preferably bevelcd. A rearwall connects the rear portions of the top and'bottom wall.- Jou'rnaled to and between the said top and bottom walls are link-holdin Specication of Letters Patent.

Application led 'May 22,

'jaws 12 th'at Vhave pintles' engafred in Vsaid walls, ,these jaws belng.

1909. Serial No. 497,821.

the jaws'toward each other is, however, li1nited by stop shoulders 14 formed in the bottoni wall, which constitute abutments for sald jaws and maintain` them with their inner or rear edges spaced apart, as will be clear by reference 'to Fig.4 2. Journaled in, ,the rear wall and arranged .between said Iwall and the rear ends of the jaws is a rotatable device 15 having a pintle 16 that eX- tends through the rear' wall and is provided with a retaining nut 17 threaded on its pro-v jectingend. This rotatable device has in its front end angularly disposed seats 1 8, one'of jaws, whilethe other isat right angles to said space. .l .Y

An, actuating arm 19 projects from one side of the rotatable device y15, and through a -slot 20l formed in the top :wall 9 of the coupler head. For the purpose of, holding the actuatingarm at the limits of its Inove-v ment, latches '21' are-pivoted upon the top wall and have seats 22 to receive-thearrn. These latches are ur ed 'across theslot '20 by a spring 23 seeure between its ends andA having said ends bearing respectively against the latches'. Stops 24 limit the movements of the latches.

Co e'ating with th'e coupler heads above V descriled is a coupler link comprising two ends arrow heads.25 that have opposite flat' tapered faces.' One ofthe shank sections 27 has its end formed into' a yoke 28 that carries a journalbox ,29, while the other shank section 2 6 has an extension 2-O-journaled in arranged 'in the yoke 28.4 The shanlcs'ec-- tion :26 furthermore has an enlargement 32 disposed alongside thejournal b'oX 29, and stop lugs V33 formed respectively on. the box 29 and enlargement 32, serve to Iim'it the relative rotation ofA the' shank sections. A spring 34, connected-to. theboxing 29 and 'maintain thestop shoulders 33.in abutting relation.

'that if oneof the arrow heads. 25 is moved inwardly and in a horizontal position be' tween the/top and bottoni walls 9'and l0 of the 'coupler head, it'will cause the `aws 12 to swing' apart against, the action. oft esprings leaf springs 13 Awith i this Construction, it win be eviden Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

I arranged behindthem. The movement of shank sections 26 and 27 carrying' at their f said boX and maintainedthereiri by a hold- -ing collar 31 fixed to the extension '30 and loo ' .to there'xtenson 30, serves to yieldingly -until the head passes said jaws, whereupon again locked.

, derstood that various changes in the size,

the jaws will move toward each other behind the head, and will prevent its withdrawal. After passing the jaws, the link head enters the horizontally disposed seat 18 of the rotatable device. If now the actuating arm 19 is unlatched and turned,v yit will be evident that the link head 27 will be rotated to a vertical' position, in which casev it is in line with the space between the inner' ends of the jaws, and canv pass freely putward between said jaws, without the niece/ssity of actuating the jaws in any manner. Then the link is therefore in operativel posif tion, connecting two coupler heads, the link heads are in their horizontal position. To uiieouple the cars, it is only necessary to nnlatcli one oi? the arms 19 and turn the same to the opposite end of the slot, where it is This will turn one of the link sections so that its head is ont. of interlocking relation with the-jaws, and the cars can be separated for the head-will pass freely out through the space between the jaws. 'lo couple the cars, it is only necessary to introduce the link into one of the coupler heads, and when said heads come together, the other end of thelink will automatically entcrthe other head. .Y

From the foregoing, it is thought that'the construction, operation and manyv advan-. tages of the herein described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, with-l out further description, and it will be unshape, proportion and minor details of construction, may be resorted to without departing trom the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention..

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. ln a cai' coupler, the combination with coacting coupler heads, of link head holding means thereon, a link comprising connected l relatively rotatable heads that move out of maar@ interlocking relation with the holdingmeans on their rotation, rotatable devices mounted on the coupler heads and having intersecting angularly disposed seats for the reception ofthe link-heads, and means for 'maintaining each head against rotation in either of two positions and with either seat thereof in a position to receivel the head ot' the link.

2. In a car coupler, the combination with coacting coupler heads, of link head-holding jaws pivotally mounted thereon and having` link-receiving spaces between them, a link comprising connected relatively rotatable heads that move out ot' interlocking relation with the jaws on their rotation, rotatable devices mounted on the coupler heads and having intersecting angularly disposed seats for the reception of the link heads, said seats alternately alining` with the linkreceiving spaces between the jaws, and means for locking each device with either seat so alined.

3. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, ot' jaws pivotally mounted thereon and movable toward each other, means for limiting the movement of the jaws to'ailord a space between them, a rotatabledevice arranged behind the jaws and havingangularly disposed seats, one of 'whichis arranged in angular relation to the space between the jaws, an arm fixed to the device, latches forengaging the arm to hold the device iii different positions, and a link y having an arrow head that moves inwardly between -andengages behind the jaws, said lead'engaging in one of the seats of the device and being rotated thereby to a position vto pa'ssloutwardly between the jaws;`

ln testimony whereof l afiix my signature in presence oi two witnesses. JAMES E. HUDLER. Witnesses:

G. D. Dickson, Hanni' Pnocrna. 

